The Road Warrior: Well-traveled pitcher Torres set to embark on baseball career in Japan

A baseball glove engraved with his father's and daughter's names and some Instant Immersion software to help him learn Japanese were packed among his clothes in two suitcases. Ex-big leaguer Carlos Torres is traveling light as he embarks on his professional baseball career in the Land of the Rising Sun.

"I only own two bags of clothes," said Torres, 28. "I've always had to live out of a bag. I've moved more than 50 times in my life, easily, if you go from elementary school to junior high and high school and the minors and college."

The Aptos High alum and former Chicago White Sox right-handed pitcher was signed by the Yomiuri Giants to a one-year contract roughly worth 69 million yen [$850,000 U.S.], plus incentives for performance, on Nov. 16. The seemingly budgetless Giants -- considered the New York Yankees of Nippon Professional Baseball -- captured their record 21st Japan Series championship in 2009.

Torres arrived at his next station in life, Tokyo, last week with his girlfriend, Megan Gordon. Spring training started Tuesday.

Torres lived in too many houses to count as a child, following his father, Jose, around the south county as he searched for work to support his five children. The move to Japan is different -- farther and more full of promise.

Still, though it's his most recent destination, the restless side of Torres hopes Tokyo won't be his last. He isn't ruling out a return to the majors.

"Absolutely," Torres said during a visit to Aptos after his signing. "But my life's different now. I have a daughter now and a girlfriend. What's important? Providing for my family. This [move] means my daughter goes to college or doesn't have to worry about medical bills."

Ava Ayn Wesley-Torres just turned 3. She remains stateside with her biological mother.

THE ROAD WARRIOR

After graduating high school as a four-sport star who was named Aptos' 2000 Athlete of the Year, the tall and slender, dark-skinned pitcher did what was second-nature: He hit the road.

Torres moved to Southern California and threw one season for Allan Hancock College. The Bulldogs made the playoffs but the school hired a new coach in the offseason, prompting Torres to transfer to Grossmont to complete his junior college career. He earned all-conference accolades both seasons, which helped him earn an NCAA Division I scholarship to San Jose State.

As quickly as the scholarship came, though, it disappeared. He was released from the Spartans' program a year after he arrived for purposely beaning college teammate Kevin Frandsen, the former San Francisco Giants player who's now in the Padres organization, a total of four times during summer ball over two summers, including three straight at-bats.

Torres landed on his feet at Kansas State and, after a solid senior campaign, the Chicago White Sox selected him in the 15th round of MLB's 2004 First-Year Player Draft.

Because Torres had no leverage as a senior, he signed for $1,000.

"After taxes, it didn't have a comma in it, but I'd take it," Torres said.

When players sign for the paltry money Torres did, they're not expected to stick around. Their role is to fill a roster spot and disappear a year or two down the road.

Torres not only stuck around, he found success. He moved from rookie ball in Bristol, Va., to Triple-A Charlotte in South Carolina -- a climb through four levels in four seasons. He played two-plus seasons in Charlotte, where he was named a two-time all-star and MiLB.com's Triple-A Starting Pitcher of the Year for his work in the 2009 season.

That season, he went 10-4 with a 2.39 ERA. He allowed just 96 hits in 128 innings, while recording 130 strikeouts and 56 walks.

Last year, he was named the International League's pitcher of the week three times -- making him the ninth player in league history to achieve that feat.

There was only one problem: The White Sox didn't expect Torres to have the success he did, and they didn't feel they had room for Torres on their 25-man roster. Moreover, the rotation featured an established list of starters: Mark Buehrle, Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, John Danks and Freddy Garcia.

"I think the White Sox were surprised they had a 15th-round guy who dominated Triple-A," said Kurt Varricchio, Torres' Los Angeles-based agent.

Torres made his MLB debut July 22, 2009, as a spot starter. He then was added to Chicago's 40-man roster, a brief promotion that came with a pay raise and medical insurance.

Before his call-up, Torres was making roughly $2,100 a month [during the six-month season] in Triple-A. After his call-up, his contract was pro-rated with the league minimum salary [$401,000] based on his time of MLB service. He earned about $65,000 each of the past two seasons.

While the upgrades were nice, Torres struggled in limited call-ups with the White Sox. Ultimately, he was moved from starter to the bullpen. Torres posted a 1-3 record with a 6.86 ERA in 13 games [six starts] in the majors.

THE DILEMMA

Varricchio wanted Torres to get the full-time spot he felt his client deserved, not spot innings and frequent flyer miles to and from Charlotte.

While the White Sox weren't sure what to do with Torres, Asian scouts loved what they saw in him -- a lanky pitcher with a pit bull's mentality and a rubber arm. They'd been scouting him for years in the minors and began pressing to purchase his contract from the White Sox as early as three years ago.

Shun Miyamura, director of the New York office for the Yomiuri Giants, has two full-time scouts working for him, one in the Pacific Coast League and the other in the International League. The one in the IL thought Torres would be a good fit for the Giants.

"He has good fastball velocity, a solid slider and he doesn't fear about throwing inside," Miyamura said. "He's competitive."

They also liked his willingness to play in Japan.

While there have been more than 500 Americans who have played in Japan -- including several big-name, big-money athletes like Cecil Fielder, Goose Gossage, Bill Madlock, Dan Gladden, Pete Incaviglia and Gabe Kapler -- Torres embodied the type of player demanded in the Japanese market.

"We classify him as a 4A type player, between Triple-A and the majors," Miyamura said. "[A well-known] name is not important. We've spent big money for players before, and it hasn't always worked out. [Torres is] on his prime time and is building a career. In that sense, Carlos is a great fit."

One team made a "fairly significant" offer for Torres prior to his major-league debut, Varricchio said, but he noted that organization and the White Sox were still far from striking a deal.

Yomiuri made an offer in November, however, and White Sox general manager Kenny Williams and assistant GM Rick Hahn agreed to lower their asking price and accept the buyout.

Within a week, Torres signed with Yomiuri as one of their maximum four import players. The season starts Feb. 19.

Torres and the Giants' other newcomers were introduced to Japanese media last week.

Torres may be a foreigner, but not everything is so foreign.

"It's different and yet the same," he wrote in an email last week. "I walked into Starbucks and 7-Eleven today with Subway across [the way]. Yet in a restaurant there was bone marrow soup, raw horse and rice on the menu. So it's different and yet the same. Things you think are common or take for granted, like walking into a store and buying a protein shake or deodorant, aren't that easy."

THE GREAT UNKNOWN

Torres isn't sure what to expect in Japan once the season starts. He only knows he has a powerful work ethic that was instilled by his father.

Torres doesn't speak a lick of Japanese. Each day, a translator meets him at the field. That person will help Torres deal with coaches and the media and acclimate to his new environment.

He'll also have the companionship of his girlfriend, who is hoping to teach English there.

Torres is believed to be the first player from Santa Cruz County since Watsonville's John Sipin to play in Japan. Sipin played nine seasons with the Taiyo Whales [1972-77] and Yomiuri Giants ['78-80].

Like Torres, Sipin was a solid minor leaguer and fringe major leaguer. He became a star in Japan. The second baseman finished with 218 career home runs there and was a two-time Gold Glove winner and Best Nine honoree.

Sipin returned to the area after his pro career, settling in Soquel, and has tracked and coached local baseball talent. He has been following Torres' career for 10-plus years and predicts Torres will have success with Yomiuri.

"I'd expect him to do well," said Sipin, 64. "They really push you hard. In the olden days, you could throw nine innings and [the next day] they'd put you back in there. The strike zone is different too. It's six inches to a foot bigger. Being a pitcher, he can take advantage of that."

Torres expects he'll have to throw a lot more changeups and curve balls to the fastball-seeking Japanese batters than he did in the minors.

"They all swing very similar," Torres said. "So I'm going to go from there and adjust accordingly."

Torres has always been a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants type guy. Professional teammates often told him if he ever got a chance to play in Japan, take it. So when the opportunity arose, he didn't think twice -- it was the best for his family.

His hefty contract offers him financial stability. And, he sees an opportunity to stay grounded for a while, a rarity for the well-traveled pitcher.

"Realistically, I don't know how long I'll be here," he said. "But I see myself being here for years."

THE NPB

AT A GLANCE

There are 12 teams divided into two leagues. The Central League and the Pacific League, which uses the designated hitter.

Most teams are named after their corporate owners, not the cities they play in.

In Japan, the strike zone is larger than in MLB, and baseballs are marginally smaller and more tightly wound (harder).

Unlike North American baseball, Japanese baseball games may end in a tie.

Each team is allowed four foreign players.

There are usually two or three all-star games in July, and the top team from each league meets in the Japan Series at the end of the regular season.

Japanese games are noisy events. Each team has an official cheering section that plays songs, beats drums, blows trumpets and waves flags.

In Japan, if a pitcher hits a batter, it is customary for the pitcher to tip his cap as the batter takes a base -- a sign of respect and proof that the pitcher did not intend to injure the hitter.